Telespazio Brasil has partnered with Rivada Space Networks to explore the delivery of secure, high-capacity satellite connectivity services across Latin America using Rivada's planned Outernet low Earth orbit (LEO) constellation. The collaboration will target government, defence and enterprise customers requiring resilient communications infrastructure and secure data transmission between geographically dispersed locations.
Telespazio Brasil, a subsidiary of the Leonardo-Thales joint venture Telespazio, provides satellite communications, Earth observation and ground systems services across Brazil and several other Latin American markets. The partnership is intended to expand its portfolio of connectivity solutions for customers in sectors including defence, telecommunications, banking, energy and critical infrastructure, where network security, reliability and data sovereignty are important operational requirements.
Rivada's proposed Outernet constellation will comprise 600 interconnected LEO satellites, using optical inter-satellite links, onboard processing and routing capabilities to establish a space-based communications backbone. Unlike conventional satellite networks that rely on terrestrial gateways to route traffic between distant locations, the architecture is designed to transport data across multiple satellites before delivering it to its destination, reducing dependence on intermediate ground infrastructure.
The orbital mesh architecture is intended to support low-latency, high-capacity point-to-point communications over long distances while providing physical separation from conventional terrestrial networks. Rivada argues that this approach could improve resilience and reduce exposure to certain network security risks. However, the security and performance advantages remain dependent on the constellation's eventual deployment, network implementation and operational testing.
Under the arrangement, Telespazio will join Rivada's Customer Advisory Board and participate in technical workshops to assess the Outernet's capabilities and develop potential commercial applications. The companies have not disclosed specific service contracts, deployment commitments or a timetable for introducing connectivity services in Latin America.
Rivada also states that it has assembled more than US$20 billion in prospective global business for the Outernet, although the announcement does not clarify how much represents binding contracts, conditional commitments or other commercial arrangements. The figure therefore should not be interpreted as confirmed revenue.